Friends, Comrades, and all Gentle Readers,
The chaos and merriment all started with one of the most frequently asked questions at Litera Scripta Manet…
“What are you reading?” my wife said as she came upon me. I told her half absently I had a scroll on Savona’s history. I planned to consult with oracles there on the Blessed Lands Prophesies. Belinay apparently had other ideas. She snuggled up against me and murmured in my ear, “Savona.” The way she stretched out each syllables banished dusty history from my mind. “How I would love to see that city. We could both go…as a belated honeymoon. Isn’t there a festival coming up?” I could feel her warm breath on my skin and new ideas filled my thoughts.
Well! I can tell you that suddenly my heart was beating a little faster and I fumbled out something like, “Of course dearest. That’s a great idea!”
Gods! A great idea? The logistics were daunting. Who was going to run Litera Scripta Manet if we were both gone? What about safety? Bandits…don’t get me started on Almeric! How would my wife react to comparative privation of the road? And maybe most importantly, what would Aunt Nasha think of this “Great Idea?” Or her husband Ys, the Tomal Khan? I knew they weren’t ignorant of Savona’s reputation.
Laugh at me if you will. Even quietly at home, my life is rarely boring.
Suffice it to say there were obstacles between this “idea” and our departure. But I will spare you the tedious details. Belinay had her mind set, I couldn’t say no, and in the end Aunt Nasha granted her a tacit blessing. And it even turns out my beautiful and urbane wife travels well. We arrived without major incident.
Priests and priestesses descended on us as soon as we entered the city and liberally planted kisses of welcome on us. We made it just ahead of Solleme Saeva Tempestus & Festum Serena. The Celebrations of the Savage Storm and the Festival of Calm Skies. I am not entirely sure how Belinay took our greetings. I thought she seemed pleased enough with the attention she received. But I could also feel the daggers in her eyes when it was my turn. So much for justice!
We had a relatively quiet and blissful day before things truly got under way. The Celebrations of the Savage Storm and the Festival of Calm Skies come out of the Storm that devastated the city while it was a battleground during the Coryani Civil War. And the calm that came after. Saturnalia iis the biggest holiday in Savona, but this might now be second.
I was looked for lingering signs of damage while we shopped for carnival masks. But so many decades latter, it is hard to see anything out of place. Savona has rebuilt itself and has regained its stature as the biggest Coryani port on the Gulf of Yarris. And the biggest tourist destination in the Empire.
But this wasn’t just a pleasure trip. I had to remember the Destroyer! In a stroke of luck I crossed paths with Nikomedus val’Borda. If you, gentle reader, took part in exploring the Vault of Larissa you might remember him. A gentleman and a scholar, Nikomedus is an influential member among the archeological set. I plead with him for assistance in polishing and publishing my annotated copies of the Blessed Land Prophesies. He thankfully had a great deal of interest in my project. But he also wanted my help as well.
Nikomedus had two jobs in mind. A pair of “colorful individuals” was attracting attention of late. One was the person or small group known as the Harlequin. The other was the very rich and now deceased Costruccio Neuvalari. I escaped the potentially thankless task of chasing down the Harlequin. That job went to someone who insists they’re nobody important. That’s almost certainly a lie. But out of respect for their desire for privacy I shall not print their name here. I got the easier job. Nikomedus tasked me with trying to steer Costruccio’s fortune to his son Saverio. I thought I just had to massage the bureaucracy to make sure there were no hiccups in the inheritance or at worst maybe discretely grease a cog or two of the city’s legal machinery.
Wrong. I should have asked more questions of that weasel Nikomedus! It was more complicated than that. The famed “Speculator Prince” amassed a gigantic fortune over his life. But also found enough time to father three sons. And of course they all wanted the whole pile of gold to themselves. My initial suggestion to split the fortune fell on six very deaf ears.
Saverio was not the oldest. In fact he was the youngest which was something of a problem. But others were no peaches. Giacomo, his oldest brother, was frankly a little dull. With a sense of entitlement in my opinion. And the middle brother Renaulto was an undisciplined gambler and duelist. He was certainly charming a good guy to share a drink with. But like the oldest brother I had a hard time seeing him as an asset to the city in the role of a powerful patron. Saverio by contrast was bright, humane and philanthropic. But also a little bit quiet.
Giacomo had a patron in the form of Tessa Harlock. I know I had heard and seen her before but I couldn’t place where. Renaulto was championed by Enzo. I am sure Enzo has a last name, but as one of the most esteemed duelists in Savona I doubt he uses it much. Everyone knows who you mean when you say his name. It happens I know my way around a side sword as well, but I resolved not to deliberately give him any cause for offence. Both of them took a great deal of time
A number of individuals investigated the estate of the late Costruccio and uncovered all sorts of interesting facts about the parties. Most curious is the fact that there was apparently no one named as a successor. Instead their father had some sort of “popularity contest” left in place as a way to measure who was most fit to inherit. If that sounds daft to you, I confess I also feel no urge to follow that example either. Nikomedus sought the Myrantian vote by promising to float Saverio enough short term money to help them fund a dueling school. Given that the Myrantians were on the cusp of rioting the whole time I was there, more on that bellow, I thought this was a questionable plan.
Still the situation was what it was, and Nikomedus wanted an outcome.
Loyally, I started digging for dirt. Unfortunately the most damaging rumors seemed to concern Saverio instead of his brothers. I heard from a gnomish rumormonger named Scratches that there were whispers connecting him to the Mourners of Silence. You can imagine that did little for his cause. In fact Nikomedus almost dropped him. But the story gets even more convoluted. It happens that there was a certain fair minded Inquisitor named Nemerius in the city. I am told that Nemerius put in a discrete word in Saverio’s favor. This caused some confusion and a lot more digging. The next rumor that surfaced was that Saverio’s wife was an informant for the Inquisition, and she helped keep an eye on the local Mourner elements. Tragically she almost immediately had an “accident.” By accident I mean somehow she got locked in a private caldarium that overheated. She died of heat exhaustion. Saverio went to pieces. I went looking for Scratches to see if he might have any ideas how to discretely investigate the matter. But the gnome was killed too. Some festival goers started agitating for Scratches to inherit the fortune. I think as a drunken joke. But despite the fact that Scratches apparently befriended several Ss’ressen members of B.E.A.S.T. he was abducted off the streets and drowned in one of many canals by people who didn’t find the joke very funny. On the whole, I don’t care much for gnomes. But Scratches had a certain charm like Little Max and I found myself sorry for his fate.
At that point I more or less through my hands up and accepted defeat. My wife was out shopping for sandals so I retreated to a tavern. A nice barmaid named Virdess and an elorii importer from Seremas named Larok were polite enough to share a drink and listen to my tales of woe. Until we all heard that there were some crazy Yarricite cultists who belonged to the sect of the Cleansing Wave. They had a ritual and were trying to drown the whole city.
Honestly. I can’t make this stuff up. Now if I could have found my wife I would have done the sensible thing and taken her and fled. But who knew where she was? Not me. So instead the only sane response, and I use sane loosely here, seemed to be for me to run as fast as I could down to the docks and join in the riot between the duelists and festival-goers on the one hand and way too many Yarricite cultists on the other.
The city didn’t drown. After the blood and tears I traded notes with other people who got caught up in the chaos and discovered I wasn’t even having the worst day among us. Remember the Myrantians? While there wasn’t an all out riot, I discovered that monks of the Medja, whoever they are, and priests of Tzizhet had been causing civil unrest across the city. There had been fighting in alleys all day. Sometimes with city authorities. Sometimes even with the Yarricites. Harvesters had also been running riot in the city. That made my blood run cold. Some Ordainers brought golems. Others strange beasts. At least one was a Ssanu. There’s a story there I’m sure.
And in the midst of all this merriment where were the Vigiles? Or the Urban Cohort? Or the Legions? Nowhere. Civic authority was stretched thin by the Myrantians and then paralyzed for a time because the Governor was also kidnapped by a powerful illusionist. Maybe the Harlequin? Though I’ve been told politely that the city is now officially denying this. Maybe I should say no more. Armand De Beaumarche might know something if people are interested. He kept trying to tell me about an illusion that had been selling masks in the city for the last two years.
I was too exhausted to pursue that improbable statement, I limped off and eventually found Belinay.
Friends I am sure that this year’s experience in Savona was atypical. Even for a city with such a wild reputation, “my” festival seemed a bit extreme. But I find myself thinking you need to see this place for yourself. Just remember the advice I usually give to wayfarers: travel armed.
I remain your obedient scribe,
Ambassador Tukufu
_________________ Eric Gorman
AKA Ambassador Tukufu, man of letters, tomb raider and Master Sword Sage . . . and Sir Szymon val'Holryn, Order of the Phoenix Formerly Sir Jaeger val'Holryn. Weilder of the Holy Avenger: Thonanos. Gave his soul to help free King Noen
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